Chapter 36

"Isn't this against the regulations?" He asked her as he held her against him in the darkness of the tent.

"If it is…so, what?" She chuckled as she snuggled against his bare chest and ran her hand across it,

"I don't know, Major," He joked. ", Sneaking into a senior officer's quarters and then seducing him is quite an offense."

"Oh, well then I was punished well, I think." Hope chuckled.

"You know me…I like to dish out punishment."

"Then punish me all you want." Hope said with a giggle.

He smiled as he held her tighter and kissed the top of her forehead, lightly stroking her bare back with his fingertips. "We should rest. We do have to get up in about four hours from now."

"Okay." She said as she yawned slightly. "Are you worried about tomorrow?"

"Somewhat." He said as he breathed in.

She looked up at him and whispered. "We're going to win, Sawyer. We are not going to die here." She told him firmly.

"I didn't say anything about that." He said to her as he kissed her forehead.

"You thought it." Hope whispered. "I could tell."

He took a deep breath as he said. "Nothing gets past you, does it?"

"No." She told him with a smile. "Believe in me, Sawyer. I'm not going to fail."

"I do." He told her. "I believe in you. Trust in me too, Hope."

"I always will." She told him as she raised her head and stared into his eyes.

He looked back at her with a smile as he moved his hand through her hair and then drew her to him and kissed her as his arms wrapped around her.

He moved and gently turned her over, her arms wrapped around him tighter, while he parted from her lips and stared into her face.

"I'm never leaving you." Sawyer said to her as he stroked her face. "I don't care what may happen, I'm never going to leave you. I'm in this for as long as you want me to be."

"What are you saying?" Hope asked him.

"I'm saying…that I want to be with you for the rest of my life." Sawyer said to her as his blue eyes danced for her in the darkness.

Hope smiled at him and breathed out. "You…. you're serious, aren't you?"

"Will you marry me?"

"Sawyer…"

"Just say yes." He whispered. "I'll do it formally when we get back but right now, I just…I just had to. I know it sounds crazy. We just met basically but I am so in love with you. I want that for the rest of my life. I know you and me are meant to be together. There's no doubt in my mind."

"Yes." Hope said to him. "I will marry you."

He smiled at her and kissed her and she wrapped her arms around him and giggled.

"I swear to you, Hope, after this is all over, I am going to retire from the CIA. We'll live in Japan or anywhere in the world that you want. Maybe I'll run a business somewhere, like an airline, I have enough capital for that, and you can fly the planes. Then, I can be your husband and maybe have a couple of kids too."

Hope looked at him with a wide smile and a laugh. "Wow, this is…. incredible." She told him as her eyes contained tears of happiness. "Tell me I'm not dreaming right now."

"This is as real as it gets. I know what I want and what I want is you. I want us to have a life together that goes to the end of our days."

"Sawyer…. I… love you, Sawyer." She whispered to him as she held him.

"I love you too." He told her.

Their lips met once more. In the dead of the desert night, a passionate fire to be raged between them both.

They both didn't know what to expect tomorrow and so for now, this moment was golden and they both reveled in it.